India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suffered a rare defeat in parliament, with a crucial bill aimed at increasing female representation in the country's legislative bodies being rejected. The proposed constitutional amendment, which aimed to reserve one-third of seats in local government and parliament for women, has been met with opposition claims that it is merely a smokescreen for the government's true intentions: rewriting India's electoral map to favor the BJP. Critics argue that the plan would allow the government to redraw constituency boundaries and potentially alter the course of future elections. The failed vote is a significant setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, which has been in power for 12 years and has never previously seen a constitutional amendment rejected by parliament.
Opposition accuses Narendra Modi government of using quotas as cover for redrawing electoral mapThe Indian government has failed to pass a bill to increase female representation in parliament after being accused of using the plan as a guise to redraw the country’s electoral map.It was the first time in 12 years in power that a constitutional amendment proposed by Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government was not passed by parliament. Continue reading...
